Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1887-06-25

taste than formerly and evidently did
not indulge in her wild and wayward
habits to SO great degree, though she
had the old CLEAN in her eye which
seemed to tell that she could still ride
the pony as far and fast, or set a trap by
the lake with the same certainty of a
catch.
"Miss Bacon" she said, 'Tm going to
surprise you"
"Well, replied that lady, ego on
you have surprised me before
"That's what I thought, so I'm going
to teach school,"
"You a teacherl" exclaimed Miss
Bacon. "Why, Emeline, how can you
think of such thing9"
"Yes, got my school engaged. Going
to have thirty scholars, some big boys,
too, ard Pm going to make them stant
around. If any of my scholars ever rur
away and act like l used to I'll make
them wish they hadn't
'Well, l hope you may have excellent
success, and if 1 can do anything to assist
you at any time, pray let me know"
ooh, Pm going to get along all right
that's what Pm going over there for,
and she gave her head decided toss anc
walked away leaving Miss Bacon musins
on what might not happen in this worlc
of constant surprises.
A few weeks after, Emma went to hel
school. She found a boarding place
near at hand and settled down with the
determination to work hard and give the
best satisfaction that she possibly could
The first morning she was confronted by
the usual array. They were all Sizes
from those so small that the experienced
teacher always put them down a:
having been sent by strategic mothers
to get them out of the way al
home, to the large boys she had spoken
of to Miss Bacon, some of whom were not
only larger than herself, but several
years older as well and one of them, Mr..
Edward Comstock, even grew particu.
larly attentive to his teacher.
She was also met by the usual diversity
of textbooks, those necessary auxiliaIies
to successful school, ranging from the
late N. Webster's able spelling book tc
the last work of some ambitious profes.
sor who hopes to teach orthography with.
out labor on the part Of pupil or teacher
with his new "system"-the former vol,
ume having been the property of the
grandfather of the little urchin who
brought it and the latter having come as
a sample from the publishers to the direc,
tor of the district who straightway armed
his youngest son and heir with it, de.
termined to give the work trial before
recommending it.
Likewise there was the usual range OF
studies. There was the little tot who
had yet to gain speaking acquaintance
with the alphabet, up to the ambitious
young man who aspired to algebra and
an ornate style of penmanship, which
ran to birds and spiral-spring o's.
1t must be confessed that in higher
mathematics and pen-strokes which
swelled out at unexpected places our
teacher was not altogether at home
But she argued that these ambitious
young men knew nothing about it either,
and therefore they could all, at least
start even.
Among the particularly bad boys was
little Johnny butcher, whom Emma
found to be particularly obstinate youth
that no amount of moral suasion, ''keep-
in in" at the noon hour or even corporal
punishment could WOO from the error of
his ways.
Several weeks of school passed and
Mr.. Edward Comstock, the largest boy,
remained attentive to Emma-but not
more attentive than pupil could judi
ciously be to his teacher One day when
the term was about half over she found it
necessary to order little Johnny butcher
to sit still in his scat and make the ac-
quaintance of his lesson during the noon
hour when the other children were en-
gagged in a grand snow -balling match
outside Naturally this was the cause of
much grief to little Johnny missing the
-balling match was partly response,
BILE for the distress, but being forced to
come in contact with his lesson was the
direct cause. Judging from the way he
recited hls lesson subsequently, it would
have been hard TO conceive how such
very slight introduction to it as he must
have had could have caused him so much
grief. But it did and Johnny went home
plotting all manner Of schemes for re-
venge.
The next day little Johnny's father,
Mr. butcher, senior. called at the school
and expressed his great displeasure at